Letters to the Editor for May 1, 2013

Published: Wednesday, May 1, 2013 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 at 4:30 p.m.

Unerringly civil

Jack Durrance recently died at the age of 90. The Alachua County Commission meeting room bears his name to commemorate his long and fruitful service to this community. That is not enough to reveal the character of the man.

I had the good fortune to serve on the City Commission in terms that overlapped Jack's tenure. The two commissions often met together then and even in the most divisive debates. Jack Durrance was patient, friendly and unerringly civil.

I wish more of the current generation had witnessed Jack's demeanor. It would serve as a standard of propriety that all public servants and speakers should aspire to emulate.

Joe Little,

Gainesville

True development

Candidates for local office and special interest groups promise economic growth for the citizens of east Gainesville. I understand this to mean more money in the pockets of the east Gainesville residents.

However, what I see is businesses moving in, but my guess is 95 percent or more of their employees live outside of east Gainesville. It will take the development of a Haile Plantation-type community in east Gainesville for true economic development.

Also, public transportation in east Gainesville is always at the forefront when the issue of transportation arises. Who are the people in east Gainesville that need these additional services? My guess is 99 percent of all homeowners in east Gainesville own at least one automobile.

Hooray for the economic growth on the west side. I guess they will need streetcars and bus rapid transit, but it will be a very long time before we need those services in east Gainesville.

Rev. Clifford T. Patrick,

Gainesville

Well done, indeed

Jeffrey Dissell's April 25 letter dismissed any call to reflect upon the global costs of a meat-based diet. In what I imagine he considers a witty tone, he justifies his inattention to: the ghastly cruelty of modern factory farming; the worldwide destruction of forest habitats and freshwater supplies to feed cattle and pigs; the colossal abuse of precious antibiotics by the meat industry, which has led to the evolution of new and dangerous pathogens that threaten us all; and the devastating effects of a meat-centered diet on human metabolism — obesity, increased risk of heart disease, cancer, etc.

Dissell justifies not caring much about all of this, writing, “I'll have meat for sure, just because I can.”

Thank you for reminding me of the other reason why I've been a vegetarian all of my adult life and am raising my daughter that way. Well done, indeed.

Terry Harpold,

Gainesville

Absurd argument

It's easy to reduce an argument to the level of equating legitimate concerns to the absurd (argumentum ad absurdum). Because of my educated liberal bias, it seems this practice is more often used by conservatives. Recently (April 25) Lee Garner jested that pressure-cookers should be outlawed because they can be made into bombs.

The absurdum argument is an insult to the three people killed in Boston. It also shows the reach of our fourth branch of government (the National Rifle Association).

Does the NRA also equate three people killed with two pressure-cooker bombs to 30,000 killed each year with guns, or is my liberal bias clouding my view?

Keith Stegath,

Gainesville

Bribery programs

I guess we working people should not be surprised to learn our tax dollars and scholarships have been squandered to terrorists so they can sit around and build pressure-cooker bombs to kill us. After all, federal bribery programs to subsidize the slothful in exchange for votes have created millions of drug addicts, gangs, obesity and a multitude of social ills that threaten our demise on a variety of fronts.

The left spin everything with their media hacks to portray the noble American people as villains while our arms are open to serve anyone and everyone, domestic and foreign, with whatever agenda. This is done on the backs of hardworking people who are beleaguered by national policies that are simply stupid and wrong.

There should be no such thing as public assistance. Americans are the most generous people on earth. At every level, churches and other benevolent organizations can provide for the truly needy.

<p><b>Unerringly civil</b></p><p>Jack Durrance recently died at the age of 90. The Alachua County Commission meeting room bears his name to commemorate his long and fruitful service to this community. That is not enough to reveal the character of the man.</p><p>I had the good fortune to serve on the City Commission in terms that overlapped Jack's tenure. The two commissions often met together then and even in the most divisive debates. Jack Durrance was patient, friendly and unerringly civil.</p><p>I wish more of the current generation had witnessed Jack's demeanor. It would serve as a standard of propriety that all public servants and speakers should aspire to emulate.</p><p><i>Joe Little,</p><p>Gainesville</i></p><p><b>True development</b></p><p>Candidates for local office and special interest groups promise economic growth for the citizens of east Gainesville. I understand this to mean more money in the pockets of the east Gainesville residents.</p><p>However, what I see is businesses moving in, but my guess is 95 percent or more of their employees live outside of east Gainesville. It will take the development of a Haile Plantation-type community in east Gainesville for true economic development.</p><p>Also, public transportation in east Gainesville is always at the forefront when the issue of transportation arises. Who are the people in east Gainesville that need these additional services? My guess is 99 percent of all homeowners in east Gainesville own at least one automobile.</p><p>Hooray for the economic growth on the west side. I guess they will need streetcars and bus rapid transit, but it will be a very long time before we need those services in east Gainesville.</p><p><i>Rev. Clifford T. Patrick,</p><p>Gainesville</i></p><p><b>Well done, indeed</b></p><p>Jeffrey Dissell's April 25 letter dismissed any call to reflect upon the global costs of a meat-based diet. In what I imagine he considers a witty tone, he justifies his inattention to: the ghastly cruelty of modern factory farming; the worldwide destruction of forest habitats and freshwater supplies to feed cattle and pigs; the colossal abuse of precious antibiotics by the meat industry, which has led to the evolution of new and dangerous pathogens that threaten us all; and the devastating effects of a meat-centered diet on human metabolism — obesity, increased risk of heart disease, cancer, etc.</p><p>Dissell justifies not caring much about all of this, writing, “I'll have meat for sure, just because I can.”</p><p>Thank you for reminding me of the other reason why I've been a vegetarian all of my adult life and am raising my daughter that way. Well done, indeed.</p><p><i>Terry Harpold,</p><p>Gainesville</i></p><p><b>Absurd argument</b></p><p>It's easy to reduce an argument to the level of equating legitimate concerns to the absurd (argumentum ad absurdum). Because of my educated liberal bias, it seems this practice is more often used by conservatives. Recently (April 25) Lee Garner jested that pressure-cookers should be outlawed because they can be made into bombs.</p><p>The absurdum argument is an insult to the three people killed in Boston. It also shows the reach of our fourth branch of government (the National Rifle Association).</p><p>Does the NRA also equate three people killed with two pressure-cooker bombs to 30,000 killed each year with guns, or is my liberal bias clouding my view?</p><p><i>Keith Stegath,</p><p>Gainesville</i></p><p><b>Bribery programs</b></p><p>I guess we working people should not be surprised to learn our tax dollars and scholarships have been squandered to terrorists so they can sit around and build pressure-cooker bombs to kill us. After all, federal bribery programs to subsidize the slothful in exchange for votes have created millions of drug addicts, gangs, obesity and a multitude of social ills that threaten our demise on a variety of fronts.</p><p>The left spin everything with their media hacks to portray the noble American people as villains while our arms are open to serve anyone and everyone, domestic and foreign, with whatever agenda. This is done on the backs of hardworking people who are beleaguered by national policies that are simply stupid and wrong.</p><p>There should be no such thing as public assistance. Americans are the most generous people on earth. At every level, churches and other benevolent organizations can provide for the truly needy.</p><p><i>Dan Taylor,</p><p>Bell</i></p>